Human Capacity

A Space To Understand Yourself, Your Experiences And Your Relationships

Warm, compassionate counselling for individuals and couples, online and in person.

Do you feel overwhelmed, stuck or disconnected? Perhaps you keep finding yourself in the same situations, relationships or emotional cycles and don’t understand why. Or maybe something simply doesn’t feel right, but you don’t know where to begin.

You don’t need to have the answers before you come to counselling.

Book a free 20-minute introductory call

Hello, I’m Dawn

I’m a qualified Humanistic Integrative Counsellor and Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP).

My work is grounded in the belief that we are shaped by our experiences, our relationships and the ways we have learned to make sense of the world around us.

Alongside my counselling practice, I have several years’ experience supporting adults experiencing emotional distress and complex life challenges within crisis mental health services.

My wider training includes Peer-Supported Open Dialogue, foundation training in Family Therapy and neurodiversity-informed practice. I’m currently undertaking a Level 5 Diploma in Relational Counselling with Relate, further developing my work with couples and relationships.

I also have a background in food, nutrition and working with the body, which has contributed to my interest in the relationship between our physical experiences, emotions and mental wellbeing.

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Understanding Yourself

We don’t develop in isolation. Our experiences, relationships and the environments we grow up in can influence how we see ourselves and the world around us.

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The ways we have been understood, valued, accepted, criticised or responded to can shape what we come to believe about ourselves and how we relate to other people.

Sometimes, we begin to notice that familiar patterns keep appearing.

Have you ever thought:

“Why do I keep doing this?”
“I know it’s not good for me, but I can’t seem to change it.”
“Why do I always end up here?”
“I understand it, but I still feel the same way.”

Perhaps it’s something that happens in relationships. Maybe it’s how you respond when you feel overwhelmed, criticised or rejected. Maybe you find yourself putting other people first, avoiding things, shutting down or becoming overwhelmed without really understanding why.

Path through a green hedge maze

Sometimes what we experience on the surface is only part of the story.

Anxiety might be connected to feeling unsafe. Anger might be protecting something more vulnerable. People-pleasing might have developed from learning that keeping others happy felt safer. Perfectionism might be connected to a fear of getting things wrong.

And sometimes, we simply don’t know yet.

Counselling can give us space to slow things down and begin to understand what might be happening beneath the surface. We can explore your experiences, emotions, relationships and the ways you have learned to respond, without assuming there is something wrong with you that needs fixing.

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When Mind, Body And Emotions Meet

Our experiences don’t always happen neatly in separate categories.

You might notice your thoughts racing when your body feels tense. You might feel overwhelmed before you understand what you’re overwhelmed by. You might notice your body responding to something before you have found the words to explain it.

Together, we can become curious about these responses. This might mean noticing sensations, emotions, thoughts, behaviours or the things that happen around you. Noticing these connections can sometimes help us understand ourselves differently and recognise what we might need.

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How I Work

There isn’t one way we have to do this.

As a Humanistic Integrative Counsellor, I draw from different therapeutic approaches rather than following one fixed model.

My training includes Person-Centred, Gestalt and Transactional Analysis approaches, alongside developing relational, systemic and narrative perspectives.

I see the therapeutic relationship as central to counselling. I believe you are the expert in your own experience, and my role is to offer a space where you can feel heard, understood and supported as we explore what matters to you.

Some people find talking things through helpful. Others may benefit from exploring patterns, relationships, emotions or what they notice physically. Sometimes words don’t quite capture an experience, and creative ways of exploring can offer another way in.

Where it feels helpful, I also draw on psychoeducation and practical tools to support understanding and offer ways to work with what you’re experiencing beyond the counselling room. This might include exploring how the nervous system responds to stress, understanding emotional patterns or finding practical ways to support yourself when feeling overwhelmed.

My aim is to offer a space where you can explore your experiences, develop a greater understanding of yourself and find practical ways to support yourself in everyday life. I adapt the way I work around you, your needs and how you communicate and process your experiences, drawing on different approaches, tools and psychoeducation where helpful. We can discover together what works for you.

Ways We Can Work Together

I offer different forms of counselling depending on what you would like to explore.

Individual Humanistic Integrative Counselling

Individual counselling offers a space to explore your experiences, emotions and the things happening in your life.

You might be experiencing anxiety, emotional overwhelm, low self-worth, grief, trauma or a sense of feeling stuck. Perhaps you want to understand yourself more deeply, make sense of past experiences or find a different way of relating to yourself and the world around you.

We can work at a pace that feels manageable, exploring what matters to you and what you might need moving forward.

£45 | 50-minute session

Individual Relationship Counselling

Our relationships can have a significant influence on how we feel about ourselves and the world around us.

You might be experiencing difficulties with a partner, parent, child, family member or someone else important in your life. Perhaps you find yourself caught in familiar patterns, struggling with boundaries or feeling unheard, misunderstood or disconnected.

Individual relationship counselling offers space to explore these experiences from your perspective. We can consider how the relationship affects you, how you respond within it and what you might need moving forward.

You don’t need the other person to attend. This is a space for you to explore your own experiences and relationship with them.

£45 | 50-minute session

Couples Counselling

Relationships can be meaningful, rewarding and sometimes difficult to navigate.

You might be experiencing communication difficulties, feeling disconnected, navigating a period of change or finding yourselves having the same disagreements.

Couples counselling offers a space for both people to explore their experiences of the relationship, understand recurring patterns and consider what might need to change.

My approach is relational, recognising that each person brings their own experiences, feelings and perspectives into the relationship.

I offer couples counselling within my private practice under the supervision of an experienced couples counselling supervisor. This allows me to continue developing my specialist skills and experience in working with couples.

£50 | 60-minute session

What I Can Support You With

I work with adults and couples experiencing a range of emotional and relational difficulties, including:

  • Anxiety and emotional overwhelm
  • Low self-worth and confidence
  • Relationship difficulties, including family relationships
  • Communication and recurring relationship patterns
  • Grief and loss
  • Trauma and difficult experiences
  • Stress and burnout
  • Life transitions
  • Neurodivergence and different ways of processing experience
  • Body image concerns
  • Difficulties in your relationship with food

You don’t need a diagnosis or a clear explanation for what you’re experiencing. Sometimes knowing that something doesn’t feel right is enough reason to seek support.

What to Expect

Free 20-minute introductory call

A chance to talk briefly about what has brought you to counselling, ask questions and consider whether working together might feel right. There’s no pressure to commit.

Starting counselling

If we decide to work together, we’ll begin at a pace that feels manageable. You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly what you want to talk about.

Online or in person

Sessions are available online and in person at The Parkstone Practice in Poole, depending on what feels most comfortable and accessible for you.

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Fees

I aim to make counselling as accessible as possible, with a limited number of concession spaces available.

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Individual Humanistic Integrative Counselling
£45
50-minute session
Individual Relationship Counselling
£45
50-minute session
Couples Counselling
£50
60-minute session
Individual Concession Rate
£40
50-minute session

A limited number of concession spaces are available for individual counselling.

All services begin with an opportunity to arrange an introductory conversation and ask any questions before deciding whether to proceed.

Arrange a free introductory call

Frequently Asked Questions

Sessions are 50 minutes.

Sessions are usually weekly, although this can be discussed according to your circumstances and needs.

There is no set number. We can review how things are progressing together.

That’s okay. You don’t need to arrive with everything worked out. We can begin with whatever feels most important to you.

Counselling is confidential within the boundaries explained in your counselling contract, including circumstances where there may be concerns about serious risk or safeguarding.

The Parkstone Practice counselling room in Poole

Counselling in Parkstone

For face-to-face counselling, I work from:

The Parkstone Practice
174 Bournemouth Road
Parkstone
Poole
BH14 9HA

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Start Your Counselling Journey

Get in touch

You don’t have to know exactly what you need before getting in touch. Whether you’re looking to understand yourself, explore a relationship or work through difficulties together as a couple, you’re welcome to get in touch. A free 20-minute introductory call is an opportunity to talk about what has brought you here and consider whether counselling with Human Capacity might be right for you.

Email: info@humancapacity.co.uk
Telephone: 07771 464282

Address:
174 Bournemouth Road
Parkstone, Poole
BH14 9HA

Send an enquiry